Blue rinse Harrogate's name gets blackened over website porn

The town is number one when it comes to people logging on to adult websites.

Yet despite Harrogate's enthusiasm for the darker side of the web, worrying figures have revealed Yorkshire has the lowest rates of internet connection in the country, with 64 per cent of people online compared to a national average of 71 per cent.

Coun Richard Cooper, acting leader of Harrogate Borough Council and cabinet member for cultural services, said: "As long as it's legal, what people do behind closed doors is entirely a matter for them.

"What is a cause for concern is that there are not more people connected to the internet in Yorkshire.

Harrogate web designer Chris Smith-Dunn, 38, who founded the community website Harrogate Online in 2003, said: "I am very surprised, it is not quite what you would associate with the place.

"It is definitely worrying that there are not more people connected to the internet in Yorkshire. It is certainly the way to push our economy forward and there is a lot more to it than just looking at adult sites."

Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, says it is already moving to increase internet access in the region and has developed a 90m scheme to install "super-fast" broadband across South Yorkshire.

The research on Harrogate was conducted by Experian Hitwise.